Door fastener



G. E. DATH r2,451,537

noon FASTENER 2 Shets-Sheet l m u @0G00 n f K e D ooo. W [E o m M o 8,. G, o. w s F. l 4 4 \,2 v5 2 3 2 2 *O 2 z xr. Z ,2 il! 0 O O G Il 2 ,w w O I 6 m .mm/MKM .w .2. MA. u a7 2 I |||.||.|||li|| l -IMHJwM al O Q y M WO 3 O ooo b m 0000 Filed NOV. 14, 1946 G. E. DATH Y 2,451,537

Oct. 19, 1948.

Doon FASTENER Filed Nov. 14. 1946 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Oct. 19, 1948 DOOR FASTENER George EL Dath, Mokena, IllL, assignor to W.L H.

Miner, Inc., Chicago, Ill., a'corporationofDela- Ware Application November 14, 1946, seriarNo. 709,808-

3 Claims.

- interengaging locking means to rigidity the door structure with respectto the bodyof the automobile truck when the door is fastenedin closed position, thereby positively holding the door against weaving.

Another object of the invention is to provide a door fastener comprising a rotary bar having keeper engaging crank members at the top and bottom. ends cooperating with top and bottom keepers, wherein the top and bottom'keeper en.

gaging crank members have arms respectively engageable above the top keeper and below the bottom keeper in embracing relation to` hold the: bar aga-inst vertical movement with respect to the keepers, thereby locking thev door against weaving when it is fastened in closed position by thekeepers.

A more specific object of the invention is to provide a door fastener asset forth in the preceding paragraph, wherein the arms which engage above and below the top and bottom keepers have wedging engagement therewith'to assure tight locking of the bar to the keepers; Y

Other objects of the invention will ymore clearly appear from the' description and claims hereinafter following. j

In the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, Figure 1 is an elevational view of the end wall of a refrigerator. automobile truck provided with a pair of hinged doors, illustrating my improvements in connectiontherewith, said view being brokerito accommodate'the same to the sheet of the drawing. Figure 2- is an enlarged elevational view of the structure shown in Figure 1 at the lower ends of adjacent portions of the doors. Figure 3 is a horizontal sectional view through the lower end ofthe operating bar showing the lower keeper-of the fastener in plan, said view being on. an enlarged scale. Figure 4 isa side elevational view of, Figure 3, looking in the direction of the arrows'II-4. Figure. 5 is a 2 View, similar toF'igure'S, but in a diierent position.

In said. drawings, I IlA indicates the rear wall member of a refrigeratorautomobile truck provided' with a door opening IfI. closed by the' usual pair of hinged doors I Zand I3. The doors I2 and I3 are supported along their outer edgesv by hinges I4 of well-known design. As will be underst'oodby those skilled` in this art, the hinged doors I2 and I3' are provided with. beveled meeting edges, the edge of the door I2', which is the door last closed', overlapping the adjacent door I3.

My improved door fast-ener comprises broadly top andbottom keepers A and- B secured tothe wall Il? a verticallyl disposed, rotary operating bar C mounted on one of the doors; topY and bottom keeper engaging crank members D-D; and an operating handle lever E for the bar.

The'keepersA and B are of similar design, eX- cept as hereinafter pointed out. Each keeper is in the form of a heavy block provided with se.- curing ea-r portions IE-I 5Y at opposite sides thereof fory fastening the same to the wall I 0. The keepers A and B are xed to the wall I0 above and below the doors in vertical alignment.. Each keeper has an inwardly directed cam slot I6 within which the corresponding keeper engaging crank member of the operating bar is engageable. The cam slot I'6 is defined by inner and outer, armlike portions II and I8. having fiat,l vertical, inner walls I9 and 2liA forming the side walls of the slot; Referring to the lower keeper B, the inner arm I7 presents a flat,` horizontally extending, top face 2I and an inclined bottom face I2I for a showing the parts purpose-hereinafter described. The outer arm I8 is tapered outwardly towards its free end, presenting outwardly converging,l flat, top and bottom faces 22--22.

The top and bottom keepers are corresponding- .ly designed, but reversely arranged, that is, the top keeper A is inverted with respect to the' bottom keeper B, having the inclined face I2I of the arm I1 at the top thereof and the slot I6 of the same extending in the same direction as the slot i6 of the keeper B.

The rotary operating bar C is preferably ofv rectangular, transverse cross section and has end members 23-23`secured to the top and bottom end portions thereof. Each end member has a keeper engaging member D formed at the outer extremity thereof. The bar C is rotatably supported by bearing brackets 2li- 24 secured to the door I2 adjacent the top and bottom end portions of the latter, and an intermediate guide bracket 25 secured to the outer side of said door. The end members have cylindrical bearing portions in the form of short shafts 26-25 journaled in the brackets 2li-24. The inner end portions of the end members 23, which inner end portions are secured to the bar C, are of well-known design, being forked to embrace the corresponding end portion of the bar C to which they are riveted.

Each crank member D comprises a horizontally disposed, radially extending arm 21 extending from the free end of the shaft portion 26 of the corresponding end member 23, a vertically disposed crank pin 28 at the outer end of the arm 21, and a second arm 29 on the pin 28 radially projecting from said pin, parallel to and in alignment with the arm 21. As shown in Figures 1, 2, and 4, the lower keeper engaging crank member D has the arm 21 extending from the lower end of the shaft 26 of the corresponding end member, the crank pin 28 depending from the outer end of the arm 21 and the arm 29 extending from the lower end of the crank pin. The arm 29 is adapted to engage beneath the arm I1 of the lower keeper and has its upper side inclined, as indicated at |22, to provide wedging engagement with the same on the underneath face I2 I of the keeper B, when the fastener is locked in closed position. The upper keeper engaging crank member has the parts thereof reversed, the crank pin 28 upstanding from the arm 21 and the arm 29 extending from the upper end of the crank pin. The upper keeper engaging crank member D `interlocks with the upper keeper in the same manner as the lower keeper engaging crank member when the fastener is locked in closed position, the arm 29 of the upper crank member engaging over the keeper A and having wedging engagement with the top face IZI of the arm I1 thereof. bottom keeper engaging crank members are interlocked in wedging engagement with the top and bottom keepers, respectively, the operating bar is effectively held against vertical displacement, thus holding the door against weaving. As will be understood, the bar is held against vertical movement with respect to the door by the usual flanges 30-38 provided on the end members 23-23, which flanges respectively engage the lower and upper ends of the top and bottom bearing brackets 24-24. It should also be noted that the tapered arrangement of the outer arms Ill-I8 of the keepers provides ample clearance for the top and bottom arms of the crank members in their rotary movement.

As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the lower bearing bracket 24 is preferably provided with a depending lug 3I which is in the path of movement of the arm 21 of the lower crank member and engageable thereby to limit rotation of the operating bar when the door is opened, thereby preventing the operating lever from striking the outer side of the door.

The bar C is operated by the usual handle lever E which may be locked against displacement by a latch 32 ordinarily employed for this purpose to maintain the door in fastened and closed position.

As is well known by those skilled in this art, to open and close the doors, the bar C is rotated.

When the top and Til by the handle lever E to cam the door I2 outwardly or inwardly through the action of the crank pins 28-28 of the crank members D-D within the slots I6I6 of the keepers. As the bar is rotated to open the door, the arms 29--29 of the top and bottom crank members are disengaged from the cooperating arms I1- -I1 of the keepers as the crank pins are leaving the keeper slots, thereby freeing the door I2 to be swung open. This freed position of the crank member is illustrated in Figure 5, wherein the inner ends of the crank arms 21 and 29 are shown as swung to a position slightly overlapping the arm I8 of the keeper, but in freely embracing relation with respect to the same. The tapered condition of the arm I8 assures ample clearance so that the arms 21 and 29 of the crank member will not drag over the arm I8 as the crank member is rotated, and also when the door is swung outwardly. In rotating the bar C to fasten the door by engagement of the crank pins- 28-28 of the crank members D-D within the slots of the top and bottom keepers, the arms 29-29 of the top and bottom crank members are swung into overlapping wedging engagement with the top side of the arm I1 of the upper keeper and the underneath side of the arm I1 of the bottom keeper to lock the bar against vertical displacement.

I claim:

l. In a fastener for a hinged door of a container, the combination with xed top and bottom keepers on said container above and below the door; of a vertically disposed, rotary operating bar on said door; top and bottom keeper engaging members on said bar having camming engagement with the keepers; and top and bottom, radially extending arms on said keeper engaging members respectively engageable over the top keeper and beneath the bottom keeper to lock said bar against vertical displacement when the fastener is in door locking position, said top arm having wedging engagement with the upper side of the top keeper, and said bottom arm having wedging engagement with the underneath side ofthe bottom keeper.

2. In a fastener for a hinged door of a container, the combination with xed top and bottom keepers on said container, each of said keepers having a cam slot having Vertical side walls; of a vertically disposed, rotary operating bar on said door; top and bottom crank members on said bar, each of said crank members including a crank pin engageable in the slot of the corresponding keeper to force the door closed and fasten the same in closed position; and an arm connected to the outer end portion of each of said crank pins, said arm of said top crank member being engageable over said top keeper, and said arm of the bottom crank member being engageable with the underneath side of the bottom keeper when the door is fastened inclosed position to lock the bar against vertical displacement with respect to said keepers.

3. In a fastener for a hinged door of a container, the combination with fixed top and bottom keepers on said container above and below the door, each of said keepers having a cam slot defined by spaced arms; of a vertically disposed operating bar rotatably mounted on said door; and keeper engaging means xed to the top and bottom ends of said bar, each keeper engaging means comprising a radial crank arm on said bar, a crank pin having one end connected to the outer end of said crank arm, and asecond arm closed position, said second named arms of the f top and bottom keeper engaging means having Wedging engagement with the upper side of the top keeper and the lower side of the bottom keeper, respectively, to lock said bar against vertical displacement.

GEORGE E. DATH.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

Number UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Date Haseltine Oct. 28, 1941 Nyhus July 16, 1946 

